Nikolai Stepanovich Pimenov (Russian: Никола́й Степа́нович Пи́менов; 24 November 1812,

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

— 5 December 1864, Saint Petersburg) was a Russian sculptor. His father was the sculptor, Stepan Pimenov.

Biography

He studied at the

Imperial Academy of Arts The Imperial Academy of Arts, informally known as the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts, was an art academy in Saint Petersburg, founded in 1757 by Ivan Shuvalov, the founder of the Imperial Moscow University, under the name ''Academy of th ...

from 1824 to 1833; with his father and Samuil Galberg. During his time there, he received several silver medals, and a small gold medal for his rendering of

Hector In Greek mythology, Hector (; , ) was a Trojan prince, a hero and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. He is a major character in Homer's ''Iliad'', where he leads the Trojans and their allies in the defense of Troy, killing c ...

reproaching

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

(1833). He was a pensioner (grant recipient) of the academy from 1833 to 1836.Sergey Kondakov, ''Jubilee Directory of the Imperial Academy of Arts. 1764-1914'' (anniversary reference book), Golike / Vilborg, 1915 — pp.266-267, 454 In 1836, he and

Alexander Loganovsky Alexander Vasilievich Loganovsky (; 11 March 1810, Moscow - 18 November 1855, Moscow) was a Russian sculptor and academician; known primarily for his bas-reliefs. His birth year is sometimes given as 1812. Biography In 1821, he began his stud ...

presented a pair of statues with an unusual theme; two young men playing popular games ( svaika and

babka A babka, or an Ugat Shmarim (Hebrew: עוגת שמרים) is a sweet braided bread that originated in the Jewish communities of Poland and Ukraine. It is popular in Israel where it is known as a yeast cake. It is also popular in the Jewish dias ...

). They were awarded a large gold medal, and received

praise Praise as a form of social interaction expresses recognition, reassurance or admiration. Praise is expressed verbally as well as by body language (facial expression and gestures). Verbal praise consists of a positive evaluations of another's ...

from

Alexander Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin () was a Russian poet, playwright, and novelist of the Romantic era.Basker, Michael. Pushkin and Romanticism. In Ferber, Michael, ed., ''A Companion to European Romanticism''. Oxford: Blackwell, 2005. He is consid ...

. The following year, thanks to major grant, he was able to make a lengthy stay in Italy, where he spent time in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

and

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

; modelling from nature. A work he created there in 1842, "Boy Begging for Alms", was instrumental in his being named an Academician in 1844. He returned to Russia in 1850. Among his first works were a "Resurrection" and " Transfiguration", placed in two attics at

Saint Isaac's Cathedral Saint Isaac's Cathedral () is a large architectural landmark cathedral that currently functions as a museum with occasional church services in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is dedicated to Saint Isaac of Dalmatia, a patron saint of Peter the Gre ...

. In recognition of these works, he was named a Professor by the academy, in 1854. Shortly after, he became the Staff Professor of sculpture, and was named to the Academic Council. He taught from 1856 until his death. He attempted to introduce Nationalist motifs into Classical sculpture. His students included

Mark Antokolsky Mark Matveyevich Antokolsky (; 2 November 18409 July 1902) was a Russian sculptor of Lithuanian–Jewish descent. Biography Early life Mordukh Matysovich Antokolsky was born in Vilnius ( Antokol city district), Lithuania (at the time part of ...

, Matvey Chizhov, and Fyodor Kamensky.

References

External links

Nikolai Pimenov
at the

Russian Academy of Arts Russian Academy of Arts (RAA / rus. РАХ, Росси́йская акаде́мия худо́жеств) is the State scientific Institution of Russian Federation, eligible heir to the USSR Academy of Arts. A founder of RAA is the Governmen ...

' official website
Biography of Pimenov
from the Encyclopedia of 100 Great Sculptors {{DEFAULTSORT:Pimenov, Nikolai 1812 births 1864 deaths Sculptors from the Russian Empire Imperial Academy of Arts alumni Artists from Saint Petersburg Burials at Tikhvin Cemetery Awarded with a large gold medal of the Academy of Arts Academic staff of the Imperial Academy of Arts Members of the Imperial Academy of Arts

Biography

References

Further reading

External links